Side bearing



Jan. 15, 1929.

A. M. BRENNE SIDE BEARI'NG Filed med 5,.1923

l6 aza Irwmfir I 4111411522411 & 1

Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

ARILD M. BRENNE, or CHICAGO, ILLINOISLASSIGINDB, BY Mnsnn assre mnnrs,T0

w. H. Minna, me, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

s ne BEARING.

Application filed December 5, 1923. Serial No. 678,565.

This invention relates to improvements in side bearings. a

One object of the invention is toprovide a simple and eflicient,self-centering, body bolster side bearing, including an anti-frictionroller element, wherein'the roller is returned to centered position bypendulum acting means.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter indicated, wherein the roller is provided with annular flangesat opposite sides thereof with which co-act a pair of pendulum elementsfor returning the same to centered position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more clearly appearfrom the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is avertical, sectional View taken through the ends of a body and truckbolster of a railway car showing my improvements in connectiontherewith, and Figure 2 is a vertical, sectional view correspondingsubstantially to the line 2f2 of Figure 1.

Tn sai-d drawing, 10 denotes the upper-portion of atruck bolster of arailway car and 11 the opposed lower part of a body bolster. My improvedhearing, as shown, is attachedto the body bolster and the anti-frictionelement is normally spaced a slightdistance from the truck bolster.

The improved bearing, as shown, comprises, broadly, a housing orretaining member A; an anti-friction element proper B; a pair ofsupporting fingers or pendulums CC; a pivot pin D; a wear plate E withinthe housing; and a wear plate F attached to the upper surface of thetruck bolster.

The housing or retaining member A ,isin the form of a box-likecastingfand'has an upper wall 12, spaced depending side walls 1313 andspaced depending end walls l ll l. The member A is provided at thecorners thereof with suitably perforated lugs 15- 15 laterallyprojecting from the end walls, by which the same riveted'or otherwisesecured to the body bolster. The upper wall 12 of the housingiscentralIy downwardly offset as shown,'the offset portionthereofbeingprovided with-a convex surface on its under side and towhich the wear plate E is attached. The offset portion of the wa11 12 isprovided centrally thereof 'ures 1 and 2.

with a thickened portion 16 upwardly ex tending therefrom, bearing onthe under surface of the body bolster. At the upper 'end,-each side wall13 is provided with a sector shaped opening 17 centrally thereof,

the openings v17 in the opposite walls being in alinement and adapted toaccommodate the fingers C for swinging movement. The thickened portion16 of the top wall is .cut away at opposite sides as clearly showninFlgure 2, thereby providing a flat surface 18 at each sideof the housingspaced inwardly from the inner surface of the corresponding side walls.

The anti-friction element B is of the roller type. The roller isprovided at each end thereof with a laterally projecting, relativelyheavy, annular, peripheral flange 19 for a purpose hereinafterdescribed.I

The fingers C are two in number and of like construction, eachhaving aninwardly projecting boss 20 at the upper end and an inwardly projectinglug 21 at the lower end thereof. The fingers G are pivotallyqsupportedat opposite sides of the housing A bythepin D extending through alinedopenings in the thickened portion 16 of the wall 12 and the bosses 20 ofthe respective fingers, the opposite ends .ofthe pin being headed overto retain the fingers in operative posil.

tion. "The fingers are thus pivotally supported for swinging movement inthe recesses 17 of the side walls 13, the recesses each being of amplesize to provide sufficient clearance to permit the necessary movement ofthe respective fingers. The lug 21 at the lower end of eael fingerprojects into the opening defined by the annular flange 19 at thecorresponding endof the roller; Each lug "21 has the opposite sidesthereof cut away along upwardly converging planes,

thereby-providing a knife edge 22 atthe wardly curved surface adapted toco-act with 'F and the bolster. v

the roller. The plate F is secured to the upper surface of the truckbolster by rivets or any other suitable fastening means, a supportingblock 23 having a convex upper surface being interposed between theplate On the approach of the bolsters toward each other, the, lower sideof the roller will be brought into contact with the upper surface of theplate F on the truck bolster and the under-surface of the plate Eiwillnext be brought. into contact with'the upper side of the roller. Duringthe'relative approach of the bolsters,-the knifeedges of the fingerswill be moved initially out of contact with the flanges 19, as will beobvious. Upon relative radialshifting movement of the body and truckbolsters, the anti-friction element B will be rolled, as for example, tothe dotted line position shown at the'left of Figure .1, the same beinglimited in its movement by engagement with the adjacent right hand endwall 14 of the housing, as shown by the dotted line position of said endwall and indicated at 15%., During the rolling movement of the elementB, the fingers will be swung to the rightby engagement with the flanges19, as shown in dotted lines of Figure 1. I

Upon separation of the bolsters, or removal of the pressure upon the;anti-friction element, the fingers C,.due to the weight of the rollerthen suspended thereby, will swing to central position under theinfluence of gravity, and. the roller, being supported by the flanges 19on the knife edges 22 of the fingers for free swinging movement relativethereto, will also swing to centered position with reference to thefingers.

'From the preceding description, taken in connection with the drawing,it will be observed that, at the initiation of the return movement ofthe parts to normal position upon removal of the actuatingpressure, the

pendulum fingers are free to swing toward their normal dependingpositionand als the'roller is freeto swing about the fulcruiil points ofthe 'pendulums without interference with the lower bearing surface. Inmy arrangement, it will also be seen that the points of engagementbetween the pendulum fingers and the over-hanging flanges of the rollerare constantly shifting so that different portions .of the surface ofthe roller are always being presented for service, to thereby prolongthe life of the bearing. Another feature of my invention resides in theparticular formation of the fulcrum support lugs 21. By converging'thesurface upwardly to a fulcrum knife edge, it will be seen that greaterclearance is left between thelugs and the over-hanging flanges, there bypermitting greater travel of the roller for a given swing of thependulumelements,

as will be observed from an inspection of the dotted line positions ofthe parts shown a housing; of an anti-friction roller within thehousing, said roller having annular side flanges; a pair offingerspivotally connected to said housing and provided with knife edgesupporting means adapted to engage underneath the respective flanges atthe upper side of the roller to swingingly support the same.

2. In a side-bearing, the combination with a retaining member adapted to.be secured to the underside of a body bolster and having anupperbearing surface; of an anti-friction rolling element proper; andmeans providing a'pendulum support for said element from said retainingmember when said element is in normal position and free from load, saidmeans being disengaged from said element and becoming temporarilyinoperative to support said element, said element having a bearing faceco-operating withthe pendulum means when load is applied to said elementand again becoming, operative to engage a different portion of saidbearing face when the anti-friction element is moved a predetermineddistance to either side of normal position,.whereby the bearing portionsof the rbller are shifted'to present new portions to engage with thebearing surfaces.

3. In a side bearing for railway cars, including a body and truckbolster having opposed bearing surfaces thereon, the combination with ahousing; of an anti-friction element within the housing, said elementhaving a curved supporting surface thereon; and a finger plvotallyconnected to said housing and provided with a projection bearing surfaceof the anti-friction element also adapted to be engaged by an opposedbolster; a pendulum element swingingly hung from said retaining memberand having a supporting edge thereon engaging beneath said supporting-surface to swingingly suspend the anti-friction element free ofsaid first named bearing surface and the opposed bolster at all timesexcept when under load, the supporting means on said pendulum elementand said bearing surface being arranged to permit movement of saidanti-- friction element to temporarily free said supporting edge of thependulum when the anti-friction element is under load and permitrearrangement of said supporting edge with a different portion of thesupporting surface of said anti-friction element when said last namedelement has been moved a predetermined distance to either side of itscentered position, thereby supporting said anti-friction element in adifferent position when the same is free from load, thereby presentingdifferent bearing areas to said first named bearing surface and saidopposed bolster. I

5. In a side bearing of the character described, adapted for use withbody and truck bolsters of railway cars, the combination with. means onsaid body and truck bolsters presenting oppo ed bearing surfaces; of ananti-friction element adapted to co-act with said bearing surfaces whensaid bolsters approach each other, said element being movable to eitherside of centered position; pendulum means swingingly supported on thebody bolster for centering said antifriction elementrand a connectionbetween said pendulum means and said anti-friction element for normallysupporting said element in suspended position, spaced from the bearingsurfaces of both the body and the truck bolsters, and permittingvertical movement of the anti-friction element to disengage the samefrom said connection,-

whereby said anti-frictionelement is temporarily disengaged from thependulum connection upon relative approach of the bolsters to permitthe'p'endulum means to remain quiescent while said anti-friction elementmoves relatively thereto under load and said connecting means tore-engage with a difi'erent portion of said anti-friction ele ment whensaid element is shifted to either side of centered position to bring adifferent portion of the bearing surface of the anti-friction elementinto co-operating relation with the body and truck bolster bearingsurfaces when said anti-friction element is freed from load. I

In witness that I claimthe foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 26th day of November, 1923.

' ARILD M. BRENNE.

